Second performance in Resonance music series explores unheard sounds, and undiscovered music

7 p.m., Thursday, December 12, 2013

The Exploratorium presents the second installment of its new Resonance music series with a performance by musician, composer and jazz innovator Roscoe Mitchell on Thursday, December 12, 2013. Mitchell’s career began in Chicago in the 1960s, and he went on to became a leader in a movement that experimented with alternatives to conventional jazz composition and improvisation. A founding member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Mitchell’s compositions range from modern to classical, and from wild and forceful free jazz to ornate chamber music. The program will feature Mitchell in conversation with radio host and pianist Sarah Cahill, followed by a performance of the composition “Angel City” with James Fei on woodwinds and William Winant on percussion. Mitchell, Fei and Winant are all music professors at Mills College in Oakland.

Admission to the museum on Thursday evenings is for ages 18 and up from 6-10 p.m. and tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 for Exploratorium members. Resonance is free with a paid general admission ticket,however space is extremely limited (150 seats) and visitors must reserve a seat in advance in addition to purchasing a general admission ticket. To reserve a seat go to www.exploratorium.edu/resonance/calendar/angel-city, click the button “Get tickets now” and follow the prompts. Live video of the event will also be streamed into our webcast studio, which holds an additional 100 people.

Resonance, is a bimonthly exploration of unheard sounds, and undiscovered music at the Exploratorium, the world’s most experimental museum. The series features musicians and sound artists performing their work and discussing their ideas, techniques, and inspirations with radio host and pianist Sarah Cahill. Performances are at 7pm on the 2nd Thursday of every other month, and are held in the Exploratorium’s Kanbar Forum, an experimental performance space featuring a Meyer Constellation acoustic system.

Visit the Resonance website /resonance to see video recordings of each performance, and a library of intriguing sound clips. Additional content exploring the science, art, and technology of music and sound will be added to the site in the future.

About Roscoe Mitchell
An internationally renowned musician, composer, and innovator, Roscoe Mitchell’s compositions range from classical to contemporary, and from wild and forceful free jazz to ornate chamber music. Mitchell began his distinguished career in Chicago in the 1960s, becoming a leader in a movement that experimented with alternatives to conventional jazz improvisation and composition. A founding member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Mitchell has developed numerous other groups and collaborations over the years, and has recorded more than 100 albums. In 2007, Mitchell relocated to Oakland and was named the Darius Milhaud chair of composition at Mills College. His role in resurrecting the long-neglected woodwind instruments of extreme register, his innovation as a solo woodwind performer, and his reassertion of the composer into what was traditionally an improvisational form have kept him at the forefront of contemporary music for more than four decades.

About Sarah Cahill
Pianist and radio host Sarah Cahill has commissioned, premiered, and recorded numerous compositions for solo piano. She has consistently championed new works by contemporary American composers, and many have dedicated works to her, including John Adams, Terry Riley, Frederic Rzewski, Pauline Oliveros, Annea Lockwood, and Evan Ziporyn. Cahill was music critic for the East Bay Express and other alternative weeklies for twenty years, and has contributed her writings to several books, including The John Adams Reader, Critical Essays on Galway Kinnell, and A Life Drawn to Liberation, an edition of the Contemporary Music Review devoted to Frederic Rzewski. Her radio show, Revolutions Per Minute, can be heard every Sunday evening from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. on KALW. She also teaches twentieth century keyboard literature at the San Francisco Conservatory and curates a monthly series of new music concerts at the Berkeley Art Museum.

Resonance is sponsored by KFOG.

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About the Exploratorium
The Exploratorium is a playful learning laboratory of more than 600 interactive exhibits and experiences that ignite curiosity and transform the way people learn. Since 1969, the Exploratorium has influenced generations of entrepreneurs, artists, scientists, teachers, students, children, museum professionals and everyday doers, reaching nearly 180 million people annually from around the globe.

Open every day in July and August, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Open the rest of the year Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Every Thursday the Exploratorium reopens from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. for adults only (18+). Easily accessible by BART and Muni. Ample parking nearby and advance parking available. For directions. For tickets and pricing information.